Summary

A camera watches the women participating in the Girlfriend Experiment as they arrive, exiting the elevator and staring into the lens while saying their names. They fill out forms and wait for long stretches of time. Each woman has a dozen dime-size sensors applied to her body and when they are activated, they feed information to the Research Division's computer monitors. Mary sits on the couch while she waits for the research on-boarding process to begin, the cameras catching and analyzing each passing expression. The participants have an opportunity to chat and interact with each other while they wait, all of them thinking of their needs carrying them through this experience, such as their rents, debts, or ill parents. Some of the women are excited or hopeful to be participating although most feel skepticism, fear, or anger beneath the surface.